Cesaro leaves WWE

[Infinity Land]

3 minutes ago, Jonny Vegas said:

There's no need to do it to everyone though. There doesn't seem much financial benefit in signing people to long term deals in an already crowded roster just for the added bonuses that they could make an action figure (many of whom are in the clearance aisles of stores) and include them in a video game.

 

They don't do it with everyone.

[air_raid]

Cesaro is exactly the kind of wrestler that Bryan Danielson would have thought “Christ, I wish I could have one last proper match with him” during his clock-watching, contract winding down days. And now he can.

[d-d-d-dAz]

4 hours ago, andrew "the ref" coyne said:

One week. Keith's Lee's debut was literally the previous episode of Dynamite and he made a appearance on this week.

Missing one show really dosen't justify a panic.

Well, that’s just not true. 
 

Keith Lee debuted on February 9th, and since then two episodes have passed and his only appearance has been a backstage appearance this week. That’s not exactly capitalising on momentum.

I don’t think it’s particularly controversial to say AEW have trouble placing all their names.

For example, Archer disappeared for months before slotting into a title fight and going again; where’s Miro?; Christian was a game changer and now he can’t even get a game.
 

Was Wardlow or Darby on Dynamite this week? Sting? I honestly can’t remember.

Its not a criticism, AEW is great but their roster IS huge and they could do with streamlining.

Edited February 25, 2022 by d-d-d-dAz

[TheBurningRed]

3 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Keith Lee debuted on February 9th, and since then two episodes have passed and his only appearance has been a backstage appearance this week.

As pointed out, he was on his honeymoon. I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’s over enough with the fans that they’re not going to be that upset. Even if he doesn’t wrestle until the ppv.

 

3 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

where’s Miro?

He’s injured. 

 

4 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Was Wardlow or Darby on Dynamite this week? Sting?

You don’t need them on tv every week. That’s how they become stale and boring. That’s what made NXT work a few years ago. Every week featured different wrestlers with one of two from the previous week to advance storylines. There’s still Rampage to come as well this week so there’s a chance one of those could pop up. 

[Infinity Land]

4 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

For example, Archer disappeared for months before slotting into a title fight and going again; where’s Miro?; Christian was a game changer and now he can’t even get a game.

 

Was Wardlow or Darby on Dynamite this week? Sting? I honestly can’t remember.

Its not a criticism, AEW is great but their roster IS huge and they could do with streamlining.

Not exactly some of the best examples.

Archer fucked his neck in the World Title Eliminator and was out injured.

Miro's had a bunch of injury problems. Was only called in to replace Mox before going back on the shelf.

Christian is meant to have suffered a stinger in his last match and right now is more storyline wise mentoring Jurassic Express. Why throw him a near 50 year old for a random meaningless match just to get him on TV.

Wardlow is on Rampage this week.

They set up the random as hell AHFO v. Sammy, Darby, Sting match for Revolution on Dynamite. Andrade v. Sammy for the TNT title is on Rampage. Chances are there's an appearance from Darby and Sting.

[Bus Surfer]

I only occasionally dip in the youtube videos these days but one of the main complaints about WWE has always been the same shit, with the same people having the same matches week in week out. Keeping people off TV  whilst being able to still put out a decent product seems like finding an issue when there is none. Keeps everything a little bit fresher and builds some anticipation to see them again. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

Am I honestly the only one that thinks the roster is bloated?

I find that incredible.

Theres genuine main eventers throughout the show struggling to get a foothold, or forced into programs with people beneath them because they need something to do.

Dynamite should be a showcase of the absolute best they have on a week by week basis. Don’t let the fact the last few weeks have been superb - it’s PPV season - blind us to the fact they seriously drifted for a while as they tried to accommodate everyone.

Maybe I’ve watched too much WWE over the years, but I want Wardlow on Dynamite every week. I want Hook on Rampage each week.

If you can’t keep an act hot on TV once a week, that’s surely a problem in and of itself. I’d get it if they were all over both shows, but being able to place your hottest names once a week shouldn’t be too big an ask.

[DavidB6937]

I guess the main question is if Cesaro would get the spot he'd want in AEW at the moment. It's a fine line. I guess if he's at least having a few matches he's enjoying and working with some decent people then he won't mind not being pushed too hard. At least there'll be some sort of satisfaction there unlike sitting around and then wrestling Happy Corbin.

[BomberPat]

"you have too many popular and talented wrestlers on your roster" is a "criticism" any other promoter in history would kill for. It's not an issue.

As for Claudio, he's as good a utility player as you can get. He's at his best when working with small, flippy guys, and AEW has a ton of them he's never worked with, so there's a lot of opportunity for great matches there.

That's before you consider that he was in WWE for ten years, and the entire scene changed drastically while he was there. He has old feuds like Eddie Kingston waiting to be reignited in AEW (and Eddie's been keeping it alive in interviews for years), but also potential matches with the likes of Omega, the Bucks and so on that he hasn't wrestled in over a decade. If he reforms KOW, there's a ton of potential great tag matches there.

[Infinity Land]

I don't know how much of this is a generational thing. Became a fan in the early 90s when there wasn't the same kind of access or the demands of a 2 hour live TV show every week. From the beginning i've been used to people not being their every single week.

Then by the time the Monday Night Wars ended I stopped watching Raw and Smackdown religiously and would only dip in and out.

[LaGoosh]

8 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Am I honestly the only one that thinks the roster is bloated?

No. The roster is definitely somewhat bloated and pretty much everyone thinks they have too many wrestlers. However the examples you have used in this thread (Miro, Archer, Lee, Christian) there have been genuine reasons why they haven't been featured. And Wardlow has been heavily featured on Dynamite/Rampage for ages, missing one week isn't a problem.

I think recently they've managed to get a decent balance and showcase most their top acts without anyone getting stale. As others have said, wanting to see more of someone is better than thinking "oh fuck not this shit again".

Edited February 25, 2022 by LaGoosh

[TheBurningRed]

13 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Am I honestly the only one that thinks the roster is bloated?

Every time they sign someone new, people on here comment that it’s getting too bloated. So you’re not the only one at all.

Jay Lethal shouldn’t be there after Speaking Out. But even if there were no allegations, he doesn’t offer anything to the roster. Same as Tony Nese. And Matt Hardy doesn’t belong in a ring anywhere in 2022. Those are three that I’d get rid of. 

[Infinity Land]

8 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

No. The roster is definitely somewhat bloated and pretty much everyone thinks they have too many wrestlers. However the examples you have used in this thread (Miro, Archer, Lee, Christian) there have been genuine reasons why they haven't been featured. And Wardlow has been heavily featured on Dynamite/Rampage for ages, missing one week isn't a problem.

I think recently they've managed to get a decent balance and showcase most their top acts without anyone getting stale. As others have said, wanting to see more of someone is better than thinking "oh fuck not this shit again".

As the roster has expanded they have slowly expanded the mainstream access. 52 Dynamites, 52 Rampages, 4 PPVs, 4 BoTB and i'm going to guess now that most COVID restrictions are disappearing they'll start doing International shows. Which I could see them treating as streaming PPVs.

[d-d-d-dAz]

35 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

No. The roster is definitely somewhat bloated and pretty much everyone thinks they have too many wrestlers. However the examples you have used in this thread (Miro, Archer, Lee, Christian) there have been genuine reasons why they haven't been featured. And Wardlow has been heavily featured on Dynamite/Rampage for ages, missing one week isn't a problem.

I think recently they've managed to get a decent balance and showcase most their top acts without anyone getting stale. As others have said, wanting to see more of someone is better than thinking "oh fuck not this shit again".

Agree the shows have been better recently.

I don’t necessarily agree the Keith Lee stuff makes sense, debut him when he’s ready to go. Don’t come in hot, then cool him off.

I didn’t know Archer/Miro were injured.

Is Christian injured? That’s a shame. I think he could do a good job for them. A Christian/Jungle Boy feud would be great.

Edited February 25, 2022 by d-d-d-dAz

[Hannibal Scorch]

4 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Agree the shows have been better recently.

I don’t necessarily agree the Keith Lee stuff makes sense, debut him when he’s ready to go. Don’t come in hot, then cook him off.

 

He debuted in a match to get a PPV match. He won, then the next week there was a video package, this week a backstage segement. So he's been seen on all 3 episodes of Dynamite. And personally, I didn't need to see him again until the PPV after that debut which is now 10 days away.

Cesaro would be great on a 1 year deal, have some cracking matches and then disappear once the shine has come off. That should do that more with talent to be honest.